Final changes to POLYMEGA system revealed

by Louie Dimovski ·
Published September 6, 2018
· Updated September 7, 2018

Last minute announced changes to the POLYMEGA system have caught many pre-order ‘backers’ unaware and asking for refunds. What changes have been made to warrant an outcry of disappointment?

Playmaji, the company behind the POLYMEGA project, has reached out to Nintendo Life to help them communicate important and significant changes to their all-in-one retro system as their website continues to not be accessible to most people.

The update article published by Nintendo Life discloses the following changes to specifications, previously announced:

CPU upgraded to a higher speed Dual Core Intel chip (G5500T @3.2Ghz);

FPGA moved out of the base console and may only be made available to future cart modules such as the Famicon and an updated SNES (the launch SNES modules will not be FPGA);

Sega Saturn support has been added to the CD-ROM system;

The Twitch feature is no longer part of the launch package;

Launch modules will include 5 officially licensed games installed on their on-board flash memory;

POLYMEGA will have a digital store by Q4 2019 that will allow games to be purchased and downloaded to the console with prices starting from $3.99USD for cart games and $5.99USD for CD games.

The upgrade to the CPU could allow the POLYMEGA to be able to accommodate more powerful retro consoles such as N64 or Dreamcast in the near future. A digital store front is also a plus as it would provide another source to legally access old titles that are either difficult or expensive to purchase in their physical format.

However, the removal of the FPGA from the base module will be a major sticking point as it appears that the previously promised ‘hybrid emulation’ has been discarded at launch, effectively making the POLYMEGA a pure emulation system.

As FPGA will not be incorporated into any of the add-on cart modules available at launch, it means that those of us whose who were intending to use flash cart devices such as Everdrives are out of luck as they will not work on the POLYMEGA.

The move away from ‘hybrid emulation’ has cause some angst among those who have already backed or were intending to back the POLYMEGA venture. A quick scan of the POLYMEGA facebook and twitter posts shows that a number of people who were successful in placing a ‘pre-order’ are now requesting refunds. To their credit, Playmaji have been accommodating of these requests and have stated that they will refund anyone who feels that the POLYMEGA is no longer the system for them.

Just as a reminder, that the POLYMEGA is no certainty to be produced without community backing. Playmaji are looking to raise $500,000 USD under the pre-order campaign. If the target amount is not raised then Playmaji will refund all money to ‘pre-order’ backers and re-evaluate the commercial viability of the project. In other words, think of this as a Kickstarter campaign but without the third party governance.

So what do we think after these changes? Is the POLYMEGA still an interesting proposition for you or will you pass and stick with your current emulated systems?

Founder of RetroGamerNation youtube channel and regular contributor to Vintage Is The New Old and Retro Video Gamer blog sites. Strong supporter of the modern gaming scene for vintage personal computers. Specialising in the Commodore 64 scene and having a growing appreciation for the Amstrad CPC. If you would like your game or hardware reviewed, please get in touch with me via email.
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